SAUCES AND THEIR VALUE

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20743, 1 March 1939, Page 3

SAUCES AND THEIR VALUE

ONE OF HIGHEST COOKERY BRANCHES Palmes are not only used for serving with certain types of food, liut they also form the foundation for many dishes such as croquettes, souffles, scalloped dishes and cream soups. liislies (mile lacking in flavour mav be made more interestm o and palatable by the addition of a sauce of piquant flavour .Mushroom sauce adds zest Lo beef tenderloin, which is naturally a tender but Ilaao'Uiiesg niece of meat. lauauuel sauce transforms a common baked 11. .. fnto a delicious dessert. Dishes which are naturally full flavoured may he toned down with an accompanying bland sauce. I-or example, (lie characteristic flavour of flsli mav be masked, though ever so slightly perhaps, by a mild egg sauce, and rich puddings are often accompanied bv a clear dilute sauce. » Used as a Foundation White sauce or cream sauce, as it is sometimes called, is the most commonly used foundation sauce. It is usually built on a foundation of milk, 'though not necessarily, for vegetable or fruit juices or even waler are freqncnljv substituted for the milk. The consistency vanes according to the purpose for which the sauce is to be used. It may be made thin, medium, or thick simply by varying the proportion of thicken! p sauce forms the basis of cream soups. Medium white sauce is the standard foundation for creamed vegetables, and thick while sauce provides the basis on which souffles and croquettes are built: Karh time the thickening is increased to change the consistency or the sauce, the fat is proportionately increased. lb Ilcc S- ' ■ to make the saner smooth and rich. Without, the butler, a sauce would be inclined to lie lumpy, harsh, and lacking in flavour. ■fhe standard proportions for white sauce arc as follows. Thill, I tablespoon I.utter, t tablespoon flour, 1 cup liquid;.medium. 2 tablespoons blitter 2 tablespoons flour. 1 cup liquid; I luck, 3 to 4 tablespoons butter, ;j'to i tablespoons Hour. 1 cup liquid. The best method of preparation is drilled the Koux method; Melt the butter, blend in the flour, sail and pepper, and add the liquid hot or cold gradually, stirring constantly till it comes to the boil. Boil gently for three minutes. Other Types There are other sauces than standard white sauce which are thickened with egg or with a combination of egg and flour, cornflour or arrowroot. These are the custard type of sauces and are used mainly Still another kind of sauce —particularly designed for pudding does "not have anv thickening material, depending upon its large proportion of suenr to give it body. The hard sauce of plum pudding fame as well as fudge and marshmallow sauces belong to this class. -uuccs for serving with meat and fish may tie built from the standard foundation recipe or they may be of the Tartar or Hollandaise varielv The former has a foundation of mayonnaise dressing and the latter "a somewhat similar basis except that it is served hot instead of C ° d \tanv so-called good cooks fail when called upon to prepare various sauces. It is considered to bo one of the highest branches of cookery, ■i S jt for so much discretion in selecting wisely, and skill in blendin- flavours and imrredienls. The flavour of sauces must never be allowed lo predominate over that of the meat, fish, etc., which they are lo accompany. Many inexperienced cooks think lo hide defects or to improve* sauces by a liberal use of bottled sauces, wine, etc. This Is. a mistake and rarely succeeds in its object.

Flowerdav, lit the candles of the birthday cake, which was then cut by Miss strange, president of the senior branch. The points prize for the year was won by Miss P. Flowerdav, with Miss I. Rae second.